Best Games to Watch Saturday, January 30th

<p>A look at the top games around the state happening Saturday….</p> <p><u>Saturday, January 30, 2021</u></p> <p><strong>Central Cass (10-2) @ Hillsboro/Central Valley (7-4)</strong></p> <p>This is an interesting Region 1 vs. Region 2 matchup. Central Cass is Ranked #7 in this week’s Power Rankings and they are coming off a tough overtime loss to Kindred on Thursday night. HCV is currently riding a three-game win streak. The Squirrels are scoring 64.8 ppg and are allowing 42.3 ppg. The Burros are averaging 58.4 ppg and are giving up 47.7 ppg. Both squads have good size, athletic players, and shooters who can hit from the outside. Central Cass does most of their damage with seven players. The Squirrel starting 5 are [player_tooltip player_id="731910" first="Max" last="Kobbervig"], [player_tooltip player_id="1111886" first="Sam" last="Kobbervig"], [player_tooltip player_id="1123709" first="Jake" last="Deutsch"], Logan Prochnow, and [player_tooltip player_id="1123712" first="Josh" last="Dixon"]. The top subs off the bench are Cole Holzer and Carter Vrchota, who are both freshmen. The Burros main contributors are Jackson Anderson, Gannon Limke, Parker Gallagher, Jacob Brandt, and Samuel Preston. Central Cass has the edge in this one and it may come down to how they shoot from beyond the arc. HCV has the athletes to match up and play fast with CC. We should be in for a fun game Saturday evening in Hillsboro.</p> <p><strong>West Fargo (10-0) @ West Fargo Sheyenne (12-1)</strong></p> <p>This is the West Fargo rivalry. The Mustangs are looking for revenge after the Packers won the first game of the season by three points. The Packers are ranked #1 and the Mustangs are ranked #2 in this week’s Power Rankings. West Fargo scores 83.5 ppg and opponents score 70.9 ppg. Sheyenne is averaging 85.4 ppg and giving up 55.2 ppg. The Mustangs have three players averaging double-digits with [player_tooltip player_id="731876" first="Jacksen" last="Moni"] (17.6 pp), [player_tooltip player_id="750185" first="Jah’Heem" last="Leake"] (16.3 ppg), and Gage Anderson (14.8 ppg). The Packers have four players averaging double-digits with [player_tooltip player_id="731900" first="Carter" last="Birrenkott"] (23.1 ppg), Joel Pease (16.5 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="812219" first="Carson" last="Hegerle"] (14 ppg), and [player_tooltip player_id="812231" first="Brett" last="Limke"] (13.8 ppg). These are the best two frontcourts in North Dakota, and they are on a collision course set for Saturday afternoon. Which team will come ready to play? Both teams have size, scoring inside, and 3-point shooters. I expect this one to be played at a frenetic pace. It is going to be a battle on the boards with both teams excellent on the glass. I think it will come down to who takes care of the basketball and who is shooting consistently from outside. We are in for a treat Saturday afternoon. Anything can happen in a rivalry game of this magnitude. Whoever wins this game will be #1 in North Dakota on Monday.</p> <p><strong>Thompson (9-4) @ Kindred (8-2)</strong></p> <p>This is a matchup of top teams from Region 2 and Region 1. Both squads are physical and play stout defense. The Tommies are scoring 51.5 ppg and are allowing 43.9 ppg. The Vikings are putting up 59.6 ppg and only giving up 42.3 ppg. These are two of the few teams that do not rely on the 3-pointer for their scoring. This is an old school matchup that will come down to limiting turnovers, rebounding, and points in the paint. The Tommies top scorers are Kyle Odenbach (14.3 ppg), Jakob Starcevic (10.7 ppg), and Sam Roller (9.5 ppg). The Vikings leading scorers are [player_tooltip player_id="731867" first="Gavin" last="Keller"] (13.5 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="812227" first="Paul" last="Olson"] (12.9 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="1123711" first="Max" last="McQuillan"] (9.5 ppg), and [player_tooltip player_id="1123710" first="Jaiden" last="Peraza"] (8 ppg). If you like defense and physical play this will be a game that you want to watch. This is an intriguing matchup between the Tommies and the Vikings, as they play similar styles. Who is the better team defensively? Tune in tomorrow to find out.</p> <p><strong>Shiloh Christian (8-5) @ Rugby (9-3)</strong></p> <p>This is a big-time matchup between two teams with State Tournament aspirations. Shiloh Christian plays in Region 5 and Rugby is in Region 6. This matchup could potentially happen again at the State Tournament in March. The Skyhawks are averaging 66.1 ppg and are giving up 57.5 ppg. The Panthers are scoring 61.9 ppg and are allowing 57.5 ppg. These teams have played difficult schedules so far this season, so they are battle-tested squads. The Skyhawks top players are [player_tooltip player_id="1046366" first="Carter" last="Englund"], [player_tooltip player_id="1124141" first="Luke" last="Wanzek"], Khael DeCoteau, and Jay Wanzek. These are not the only players that will be productive for Shiloh. They play 10-11 players in the game and there is no telling who may have a hot game tomorrow. The Panthers on the other hand get most of their production from four players. Their leaders are [player_tooltip player_id="1124139" first="Cole" last="Slaubaugh"], [player_tooltip player_id="750171" first="Isaiah" last="Bundy-Smith"], [player_tooltip player_id="1124135" first="Trey" last="Welstad"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1124138" first="Warren" last="Walker"]. This is a heavyweight matchup between two programs that are accustomed to winning games. Who will come out on top tomorrow?</p> <p><strong>LaMoure/Litchville-Marion (8-4) @ Enderlin (10-1)</strong></p> <p>This is the second matchup between two well-coached teams. In the last meeting, the Eagles won by 7-points. Enderlin is ranked #1 in this week’s Power Rankings. The Eagles are scoring 72.1 ppg and giving up 53.9 ppg. The Loboes are putting up 55.2 ppg and opposing teams are scoring 42 ppg. This is a fun matchup between Region 3 and Region 1. The Eagles leading scorers are [player_tooltip player_id="787658" first="Joe" last="Hurlburt"] (24.5 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="812220" first="Gus" last="Hurlburt"] (17.6 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="1050248" first="Carson" last="Bartholomay"] (11.6 ppg), and Alijah Dixson (9.2 ppg).  The Loboes are led by [player_tooltip player_id="1124143" first="Corban" last="Potts"] (11.8 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="1124144" first="Landon" last="Piehl"] (11.2 ppg), and Colton Ness (8.8 ppg). These two squads play contrasting styles, and it will be interesting to see which one will prevail tomorrow.</p>